Current pulse

Latest advancements in mobile solutions

As the technology landscape for the factory of the future continues to evolve, manufacturers looking to improve plant floor operations will find the latest advancements in mobile technologies and solutions at the Industrial Automation North America 2014 (Industrial Automation NA) global trade show and conference. IANA is co-located with Motion, Drive, and Automation North America (MDA NA), which is making its debut at IMTS 2014 at McCormick Place, Sept. 8-13, 2014.

During the show, exhibitors from around the world will showcase mobile innovations for visualization, analysis of data, process control, and field communications to fully integrate machinery across the entire plant.

“Mobility is one of the hottest topics in industrial automation today,” says Larry Turner, CEO of Hannover Fairs USA, organizer of Industrial Automation NA. “The new era of mobility is delivering the promise of greater productivity, and we are eager to present the latest devices and solutions for enhancing plant floor connectivity at the show. I expect this year’s trade show and conference will drive manufacturers to adopt more of these solutions.”

Industrial Automation NA will feature discussions about how to implement mobility to enhance productivity across manufacturing processes during its Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit – Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014. Industry experts will offer insights into how to utilize the latest mobile devices to deliver greater productivity by channeling information in a timely fashion across a secure environment.

Expanded customer service offering

Mitee-Bite Products will continue to assist with design and clamping recommendation, as well as schedule on-site visits at no cost, but will also add services of simple conceptual CAD layouts to top-level CAD designs prepared to import into CAM software. Company engineers will work with skilled fixture builders close to customers or, time permitting, build in-house to client satisfaction.

Miyachi America Corp. offers a range of fully equipped laboratories specifically intended to help customers arrive at the best manufacturing solution for their specific applications. Engaging Miyachi’s applications engineering staff for assistance in developing or improving processes helps to achieve higher quality and throughput while lowering overall manufacturing costs. In-house experts can consult on part design, material selection, and manufacturability. In addition to offering a selection of basic equipment technologies, the applications labs offer equipment options within the technology.

Application engineers process customer-supplied samples to the customer’s requirements and provide a detailed, written evaluation along with specific equipment and process recommendations. This no-cost service enables customers and prospects to evaluate the benefits of various processes on a specific application.

3D print exchange for researchers, students

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the NIH 3D Print Exchange, a public website that enables users to share, download, and edit 3D print files related to health and science. These files can be used, for example, to print custom laboratory equipment.

“3D printing is a potential game changer for medical research,” says NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “At NIH, we have seen an incredible return on investment; pennies’ worth of plastic have helped investigators address important scientific questions while saving time and money.”

NIH uses 3D printing, or the creation of a physical object from a digital model, to study viruses, repair and enhance lab apparatus, and help plan medical procedures. The site also features tools that convert scientific and clinical data into ready-to-print 3D files.

The 3D Print Exchange is a collaborative effort led by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).